Englewood, Colo. - EchoStar Communications, operator of the DISH Network satellite TV service, has announced that it will pay $380 million to acquire Sling Media, a developer of TV "place-shifting" technology that lets users access premium home TV channels while on the go from Internet-connected devices. [more..]

Seattle - Online retail giant Amazon.com on Tuesday announced the beta launch of Amazon MP3, a digital music store that offers over 2 million DRM-free tracks, more than a million of which are priced at 89 cents. [more..]

New York - New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced that his office has subpoenaed online social network Facebook, as part of an investigation into the site's safety and privacy measures. [more..]

Paris - The head of Universal Music Group parent company Vivendi has called the contract terms for Apple's iTunes Store "indecent," and echoed calls from other major labels for variable pricing of songs from the retailer, Reuters reported. [more..]

London - Richard Branson's Virgin Group has announced that it will shutter its Virgin Digital online music service. [more..]

San Francisco - Creative Commons, the nonprofit that advocates for less-restrictive copyright license terms, has found itself the target of a lawsuit, after a photo of a 16-year-old posted to Flickr under a Creative Commons license found its way into a Virgin Mobile ad campaign. [more..]

New York - High prices and competing formats will impede sales of next-generation DVD players for the next 18 months, according to a report from market research firm Forrester Research. [more..]

Washington - AOL co-founder Steve Case has announced the launch of Revolution Money, a company that says it wants to "transform the payment industry" through a new Web-based payment platform. [more..]

San Mateo, Calif. - Turn, a developer of automatically-targeted advertising technology, has raised $8 million in its second round of funding, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory filing. [more..]

New York - Firebrand, the developer of a consumer entertainment site for TV commercials, announced on Tuesday that it has received undisclosed investments from Microsoft, NBC Universal and GE's Peacock Equity Fund, and ION Television, and plans to launch its service on Oct. 22. [more..]

Atlanta - Digital advertising firm EyeWonder announced on Tuesday that it has acquired German interactive advertising company Vendi Interactive. [more..]

Redwood City, Calif. - NebuAd, a developer of behavioral advertising technology, said on Tuesday that it has closed on a second round of venture capital financing, led by Sierra Ventures and Menlo Ventures, bringing its total funds raised to date to $30 million. [more..]

Sunnyvale, Calif. - Yahoo has partnered with The CW to stream the premiere episodes of the network's new series "Aliens in America" and "Life is Wild" for free, sans commercials, before their broadcast debuts. [more..]

New York - Critical Media (formerly Critical Mention), a provider of video search and syndication services, on Tuesday launched a private beta of Syndicaster, a free Web-based platform broadcasters can use to quickly post their content online. [more..]

San Francisco - Online social network Friendster announced on Tuesday that it has launched a version of its site in Traditional Chinese. [more..]

Newton, Mass. - Finetune, a free online music discovery service that lets users create and share playlists, on Tuesday launched a Finetune application for the Facebook social network. [more..]

Reston, Va. - ComScore, a provider of Internet audience measurement services, said that it has launched a new service that reports where display ads are actually viewed across the Internet and the characteristics of the people who view them. [more..]

Dulles, Va. - AOL said on Tuesday that its KOL kids site has partnered with Miss O and Friends, a lifestyle brand for girls ages 8-14, and music producer John Boylan on a contest that gives tween girls the chance to have their voice or songs professionally produced and recorded. [more..]